Albany Devils' Kevin Rooney, right, and Syracuse Crunch's Brian Hart battle for the puck during a hockey game at the Times Union Center on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017 in Albany, N.Y. Devils' Jacob MacDonald checks ... more

When defensemen Reece Scarlett and Brandon Gormley were traded earlier this month, the Albany Devils showed their depth on the blue line.

They also showed their confidence in second-year pro Jacob MacDonald, who signed a two-year American Hockey League contract earlier this week after playing 19 games as a tryout.

"We had too many defensemen here," Devils coach Rick Kowalsky said. "But, like I told Gorms and Scarlett, it wasn't so much we were looking to move an individual guy. We felt pretty confident with the entire group. There were just too many bodies to get in the lineup every night.

"The addition of MacDonald and what he's capable of as a puck mover and a power-play guy gave us some freedom to move guys with similar skill sets."

MacDonald, 24, is a Brighton, Mich., native who played at Cornell. He was undrafted and played most of his career in the ECHL — at Elmira as a rookie and Toledo this season — until Albany signed him to a professional tryout contract in early January.

"It was amazing," said MacDonald, whose deal includes this season. "I was a little bit surprised. Getting that phone call was a good feeling, knowing that the staff has trust in me to play at this level for the next year is exciting news."

Although he was a healthy scratch six times, MacDonald has played 19 games, contributing four goals and seven assists. His 0.58 points per game ranks first among Albany defensemen.

More importantly, he can stop looking over his shoulder. PTO agreements are good for 25 games. He could have been returned to Toledo at any time, but the AHL deal secures his future through next season.

"For me, it's not so much looking over your shoulder — it's just knowing there's an expiration at some point," he said. "It's a little bit in the back of your head, but it's not nice having that feeling."

The Devils may have a deep defense corps, but it has been transient. Seth Helgeson and Karl Stollery have bounced between the NHL and AHL. The other regulars — Vojtech Mozik, Andrew MacWilliam and Josh Jacobs — have missed a combined 35 games, mostly because of injuries or illness.

When he arrived, MacDonald was in the lineup out of necessity. Now he seems to have earned a regular spot, and he has the contract to back it up.

"He's developed since he's been here," Kowalsky said. "I'm impressed with all aspects of his game. He's a second-year pro now, had a big year last year and was confident. You could see his confidence with the puck. We like the way he reads pressure and makes plays, and his shot has been real good for us on the power play.

"From an organization standpoint, to find a guy, I don't want to say 'diamond in the rough,' but to be able to pick up a guy that you don't draft or is not highly recruited out of college is certainly a bonus."

Now that he is under contract, MacDonald will be able to attend the New Jersey Devils' development and training camps in late summer, where he will have the opportunity to make more of an impression.

"Having that peace of mind where you know that you have a spot to be next year, and you have staff that's looking to develop you not today, but over the course of time, is very helpful for me," MacDonald said. "I try to take it more day to day, just go out here and do my job every single day and let the cards fall where they may. They ended up falling in a pretty good spot."